Automatic lighter and display device



March 31,, 1942... H. E. GOLDSTINE AUTOIATIC LIGHTER AND DISPLAY DEVICE ori inal Filed Oct. 24, 1936 2 Shets-Sheet 1 E. 60LD$TINE ATTORNEY.

March 31,1942. H. E. GQLDSTINE AUTOMATIC LIGHTER AND DISPLAY DEVICE Original Filed Oct. 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BODY (PAC/TY INVEN TOR.

IMLLAN GOLDSTINE rrozmmv.

Patented Mar. 31, 1942 AUTOMATIC LIGHTER/AND DISPLAY DEVICE Hallan Eugene Goldstine, Rocky Point, N. Y., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Original application October 24, 1936, Serial No.

107,374, now Patent No. 2,182,336, dated December 5, 1939. Divided and this application June 6, 1939, Serial No. 277,593

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a new tomatic lighter and display device.

The invention is a division of my copending application Serial No. 107,374, filed Oct. 24, 1936, and is particularly directed to the art of using electric discharge tubes as a relay device and deals especially with applying this principle to a novel lighter.

An object of this invention is to simplify and improve automatic lighters such as those employed for lighting cigars and cigarettes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic lighter which is capable of continuous intermittent'use and requires a minimum amount of servicing.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a simple improved lighter having no contact elements which are broken, the heater circuit being controlled by body capacity.

Another feature of this invention is the arrangement whereby at the same time the heating element is caused to heat there is also flashed a display or advertising sign.

Still another feature of this invention is that the device as arranged fulfills both the purposes of a lighter and an advertising device and is arranged to attract the customers attention and arouse his curiosity as to the control member, itself. The electrical circuit of the device is arranged so that when the heating arrangement heats the sign will be illuminated, the tube giving off its characteristic glow which is a noteworthy advertising feature.

Although automatic lighters are old in the art,

and. novel ausuch devices generally required the breaking of the total heater current when the object to be lit was heated. As the heated current which was broken was relatively large, a substantially heavy contact pressure was necessary. Also, such devices required frequent servicing due to the burning out of the contacts.

It is the purpose of this invention to permit the body capacity of a person approaching the lighter to actuate the circuit of the heater element.

The contacts are arranged in the circuit so that a display sign flashes on and off when the heating element is on.

This invention will be more completely understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the automatic lighter and display device;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of the automatic lighter wherein the heating circuit is controlled by body capacity.

Referring now in detail to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a metal casing I of any suitable configuration is provided to enclose the necessary apparatus or control elements. Directly in front of the casing lis arranged a space 2 for a suitable display device which may be in the form of a, transparent or translucent glass having located therein the desired display device or advertising legend 3. In the central upper portion of casing I there is located a small aperture 4. Supported within the aperture 4 is a heating element 5 which is pivotally located at a depending portion 6. On the lower portion of'heating element 5, a capacity electrode 31 is arranged. A second capacitive electrode element 38 is spaced directly below electrode 31 and is supported by a support member 9 which is secured to a supporting member ID, preferably of insulating material. Also located on member I0 is a socket H for an electron discharge device 35 which may be of the type known as a thyratron. This thermionic device acts as a relay tube for controlling the heating current supplying the heating element 5. As shown by the circuit diagram in Fig. 3 the electron discharge device 35 is arranged so that its plate 45 is connected in series with a pair of small electric light bulbs 23. The lights 23 can be connected in parallel, as well as in series with the supply. However, a parallel arrangement of the lamps from the plate of tube 35 to the incoming power line might be found to be a better arrangement, because if one light should fail, the device would still operate. A resistance 24 is connected from one side of the alternating current supply source to maintain the voltage for lamps 23 at a desired value.

The display device of this application is generally similar to the parent application in all of its features with the exception of the omission of contacts I and 8 and in place thereof are two capacitive electrodes 31 and 38. The heating current supplying the heater 5 is controlled by body capacity when a person approaches to light his cigar or cigarette, the extra capacity causing the tube to trip, thus heating the element and illuminating the advertising device. An electron discharge device 3| provides a high frequency amplifier of a tuned plate and grid circuit, the plate 32 and grid 33 being shielded from each other, A screen grid 34 prevents feedback through the tube. The thyratron tube 35 has a grid 36 which is held at a negative potential when tube 3| is not oscillating. In the grid and plate circuit of tube 3|, there is connected the capacitive elements or electrodes 31 and 38 which are suitably arranged on casing I so that when the body capacity 39 of a person who approaches the lighter intercepts electrodes 31 and 38, feedback occurs between plate 32 and grid 33, thus causing tube 3| to oscillate. This lowers the plate current of tube 3| which in turn lowers the negative bias on the thyratron tube 35 enough so that the positive bias applied to the secondary 40 of the transformer will cause the tube to conduct. When the extra capacity is removed, tube 3| will cease oscillating and tube 35 will then be non-conducting. A small blocking condenser 31a is employed to insulate the plate voltage from the exposed plate. It may be desirable also to work the plate at ground po tential for the supply voltage and work the oathode at a negative voltage, so that the plate 31 has only a very low voltage radio frequency impressed on it.

There is also the possibility of using an audio frequency capacity bridge circuit; the unbalance due to body capacity causes a, change in the audio voltage, this is amplified, rectified and caused to control the relay tube. Other elements of this circuit are transformer primary 4|, cathode 42, cathode resistance 43, a grid bias battery 44, plate 45, heating element 5, and lamps 8 which are connected in series by the plate 45 and the series resistance 24. The oscillator tube contains grid leak 46 and grid condenser 48, plate 32 having connected in the tuned circuit condenser 49 an inductance 50. The circuit of grid 32 has also a tuned circuit comprising condenser and inductance 52. Screen grid 34 is provided with a resistance 53, the cathode 54 of tube 3| being maintained at a desired positive potential by resistance 55 and a battery supply source 56. The filament 51 of heater 3| is heated by any suitable means. such as a tap on the transformer secondary.

By a slight change in the circuit, batteries 44 and 56 may be eliminated and the bias potential obtained from the alternating current supply source.

Another circuit arrangement may accomplish the same effect by having the body capacity of the person approaching the lighter vary the neutralizing capacity of an amplifier, thus causing the tube to go in and out of oscillation.

Still another method of control would be to have the cigar or cigarette make or break a light beam which is inserted within the lighter, a

photoelectric cell being connected in the circuit so as to cause the relay tube to trip and the heating element would thus be heated and the advertising device flashed.

Another modification would be that of a mechanical relay arranged to be actuated by the plate current of the relay tube if it is desired that a larger amount of power be required than the tube can control.

While only a few modifications of this invention are disclosed, it is to be distinctly understood that it is not to be limited thereto except by such limitations as are imposed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic lighting device comprising a casing, the upper portion of which is spherical in shape, an aperture located in said spherical portion, a base in the lower part of said spherical portion, an electron discharge device supported from said base, an electric display device located below said electron discharge device, an electric heating element in said aperture, means comprising a pair of capacitive electrodes located adjacent said aperture and connected with said electron discharge device whereby the body capacity of a person approaching said device causes current to iiow in said heating element and said display device.

2. An automatic lighting device comprising a casing, an aperture located in the upper portion of said casing, an electron discharge device located adjacent said aperture, an electric heating element located in said aperture, an electric display device located below said electron discharge device in the lower portion of said casing, and actuating means including a pair of capacitive electrodes located adjacent said aperture and connected with said electron discharge device whereby the body capacity of a person approaching said device causes current to flow in said heating element and said display device.

3. An automatic lighting device comprising a casing, an aperture located in the upper portion of said casing, an electron discharge device located adjacent said aperture, an electric heating element located in said aperture, an electric display device located below said electron discharge device in the lower portion of said casing, alternating current apparatus located in said casing and arranged for connecting to an external alternating current source of power, means comprising a pair of capacitive electrodes located adjacent said aperture and connected with said electron discharge device and said alternating current apparatus whereby the body capacity of a person approaching said device causes current to flow in said heating element and said display device.

4. An automatic lighting device comprising a casing, an aperture located in the upper portion of said casing, a pair of electron discharge devices located adjacent said aperture, an electric heating element located in said aperture, an electric display device located below said electron discharge devices in the lower portion of said casing, and actuating means including a pair of capacitive electrodes located adjacent said aperture and connected with said electron discharge devices whereby the body capacity of a person approaching said device causes current to flow in said heating element and said display device.

HALLAN EUGENE GOLDSTINE. 

